Restless Night
by Ormandria
Summary: Severus Snape silently goes over his last night at Hogwart's and the events that led up to it. One Chapter, One Shot.


_**Author's Note and WARNING:**_ I have my own ideas as to what was REALLY going on at Hogwart's during the last year and in this Fanfic I touch on my theory for of what really happened between Dumbledore and Snape. **_This has SPOILERS for Book 6 and MAY CONTAIN SPOILER IDEAS FOR BOOK 7_**. As I said, this is based on what I believe to be true, but I could be wrong. The point is, if you don't want to read any theories about what may be coming in Book 7, do NOT read this Fanfic. But if you don't mind, then read away. Enjoy!

_Ormandria

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Severus Snape tossed himself over so that he could see the magical hourglass beside his bed that he used to keep track of the time. It had been nearly four hours since he had lain down and still sleep would not come.

It was nerves and he knew it, although the thought of it made him cringe just as much as he had cringed at his actions of a few nights before. There was to be no help for it though. Tomorrow the wizarding world would gather at Hogwarts to bid farewill to the greatest wizard that had life in many a year. Albus Dumbledore.

Snape shuddered as he recalled the events leading up to this supposedly tragic day. The events that had been set into motion so many years prior, but that had taken a more hideous turn this last year.

What was it that he told all his new first year students?

"I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death."

A stopper in death …. And hadn't that been just what he had done? So then, why was he so worried about it? Because Harry Potter had nearly ruined it all, that's why. He had to go and chase after Snape, nearly getting himself killed in the process and rightfully accusing Snape of the one action he regretted most in his life. Causing the death of Lily Potter.

He had never meant for Lily to die. Oh he would have had no problem with James dying, but not Lily. Never Lily. Though he had never shown it, he had always had a fondness for the girl who had always had such a brilliant mind. He had been racked with such guilt over it that he had betrayed the Dark Lord and given allegiance to Dumbledore.

It hadn't been easy, but with his help, Snape had actually begun to feel like there was some good he could do to make up for all the tragedy he had wrought upon the world. Then Harry Potter came. Same saw in him the same characteristics that had dwelled in James and it made it so easy for Snape to hate him for that fact alone. Oh, he also had some of Lily's traits as well. As such it was a constant reminder of what Snape had done and thus, instead of calming Snape's growing distaste for the boy, it only served to fuel the fire's of hatred.

Then the signs started appearing and within five years, the Dark Lord had returned. Snape knew the moment that this happened that he would have to go back and "swear" allegiance to him so that he could once again feed information to Dumbledore on the Dark Lord's works. Never in his life though, had he thought that this would lead to his own flight from Hogwart's.

What he had not counted on was Narsissa coming to visit him last summer. She had been thoroughly correct when she had suggested that Draco had been chosen to kill Dumbledore as punishment for his father's failures at the Ministry of Magic the month before. The Dark Lord knew that the boy would not be a match for Dumbledore. Though the reason was quite different then what the Dark Lord believed it was.

Draco reminded Snape much of himself as a boy. It was partially due to this that Snape knew Draco did not have it in him to kill Dumbledore, just as Narsissa knew and more importantly just as Dumbledore knew.

That Bellatrix followed her sister because she did not trust Snape just served to muddle the situation even further. It was because of her that he had to preform that damnable unbreakable oath spell.

When it was done he locked himself in his study so that he could think. The first thing he needed to do was to contact Dumbledore aside and explain to him everything that had happened. Luckily the Order had a way of doing such things unnoticed. Even luckier, was the fact that no one noticed as Snape's patronus fled through the night with the important news.

Plan's had already been set into motion by the time he returned to the castle for the new semester. Snape finally got the teaching position he had always wanted, leaving him in a position to keep a better eye on Draco. The plan was simple really, but the process of carrying it out wasn't.

Draco was definitely not one to show his hand and he was determined to prove to the Dark Lord that he was more then capable of carrying out his will without error. Draco had become very disillusioned over the last few months and as the year passed, he grew more and more distant, tired and panicked.

Still he refused to give up though. Until finally his effort's bore fruit. Late in the night, just days before, Snape was awoken to the warning that Death Eater's had entered Hogwart's. He knew what it meant and had knocked the messenger out cold as he raced to the top of the castle in time to find Draco and Dumbledore, along with a hand-full of the aforementioned Death Eaters.

Snape was correct. Draco did not have it in him to kill his headmaster. But then again, Snape wasn't sure he did either. He hesitated. How could he go through with the plan. A small part of him screamed out _"What if it doesn't work?"_

But Dumbledore saw that small part and acted on it. "Please," he had asked his friend.

Please. It had not been a "Please don't kill me Severus." It had been a "Please do what you know you must. Don't panic. Don't give up. Cast the spell and continue as we had planned."

So cast the spell he did, hoping beyond hope that Dumbledore had taken the potion he had made him earlier that year. And that he had taken care to ensure that all the other precautions had been put into place. Then Snape watched his mentor fall from the high tower to the courtyard below.

With that, Snape fled, with Draco and the remaining Death Eaters that still stood. Oh Harry Potter had given chase, and nearly got himself killed in the process. He would have succeeded too, had Snape not shouted that Harry was only to be killed by the Dark Lord. Things would have gone very wrong had the boy died that night.

The stupid boy who would try to use his own spells against him. And just how did Potter expect to defeat the Dark Lord if he couldn't even keep his mind closed long enough to defeat his own teacher? Snape could only hope that Dumbledore's faith in the boy was not as misplaced as he thought it was.

Another look at the hourglass and another hour gone by. In a few more, people would be gathering outside of Hogwart's.

If all went well, Dumbledore would awaken from his "death sleep" and create his own coffin while sending his own patronus out to let everyone else in the Order know that he was indeed, still alive.

If all went well, in a few hours, the Order of the Phoenix, with Dumbledore back at it's lead, would start to make more plans to bring down the Dark Lord so that the wizarding world could once again live in peace.

If all went well, in a few more hours, the rest of the Order of the Phoenix would come to realize that Severus Snape wasn't the traitor they most likely thought he was right now….

Until then, Snape would wait and try to get some sleep in the interim.


End file.
